POLITICS 2020: Q&A With 3rd Congressional District Candidate Carolyn Long

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Question 1: At your 60th Town Hall you said the United States needs to make changes to the Electoral College. Can you elaborate on that proposal?

I used to think the Electoral College was a good idea because it forced presidential candidates to campaign to lower population states so it encouraged them to go to small states. 

We’ve seen it twice now that’s not happening.

We need to look at a change. It has to be a solution that incorporates elements of the Electoral College. What would a hybrid look like to emphasize the more urban areas? We need to talk about how the Electoral College gives advantage to small states and we should take some of that model to offset what is happening in our times, which is being studied by political scientists right now.

Things have changed. It used to be that Republicans didn’t favor the Electoral College, and Dems did. Now, that’s changed. To have allowance for giving states representation irrespective of the popular vote. It’s all very uncertain.

Question 2: Would you be a part of the Problem Solvers caucus in Congress, if elected?

Yes, I would be part of that. (Former Congressman) Brian Baird suggested that years ago. Something that I said last night is that the true sign of bipartisanship is how a member acts in the majority. When you’re in the majority you don’t have to reach across the aisle. Of course I would join it. I would join other caucuses. We need to look at investments in infrastructure, and we need to do that. We emphasize that in our pandemic plan.

The newly elected members of Congress want more bipartisanship. They are tired of the negativity, they are tired of Congress and how it’s led.

I would stand up to Speaker Pelosi. Absolutely. Look at my public statements on the matter. Look at my campaign and for these past three years have been clear. 

I very have displayed that.

What I know as a professor is often members of Congress act in a way to keep their job. They are concerned about bucking the party. I’m not looking at this as a career. I’m 53 years old. I have a lot of really good plans. I want to work on issues to make sure our people are well represented.

Question 3: What are the most pressing issues you’re hearing from citizens of the 3rd District?

Pandemic recovery. I released a pandemic recovery plan six week ago. Congress has not done its job for nearly 8 months. I released this because I was frustrated. We need to prioritize workers and not give them barriers to health care. Job training for small businesses. Transformational infrastructure investments. These investments of federal dollars will jump start the economy.

They want leadership who works for them. They want to see their representative working for them.

Question 4: How do we address the mental and emotional issues that are affecting our youth who are struggling with remote learning?

I am a teacher and a mom and I see firsthand how hard it is for my college students who are struggling. I see my daughter and she misses the social interaction. We need to have connectivity with our friends.

We need to treat mental and emotional health issues like physical ailments. A big issue is that a lot of students are just frustrated because they can’t access the Internet. We need to have better broadband, so that all may have access. It’s an equity issue.

Question 5: Regarding the pandemic, is the cure worse than the illness? 

We have to listen to the health experts. It’s been eight months since Congress has passed greater relief. Politicians in DC aren’t really paying attention to what we need. Let’s listen to the public health experts, let’s get DC functioning again. Let’s get through this by following the health guidelines.

Question 6: Are you in favor of a 20 percent tax increase? 

No. These have been debunked. We need to prioritize working families and small businesses in a way that doesn’t increase the debt. 

Question 7: What’s it like being a Democrat that’s married to a Republican?

Being married to a Republican you have to engage, and you need to focus on listening. You always listen to understand rather than listen to respond. If you listen to understand you can find out where someone is coming from. There is more than unites us than divides us. You can to have these conversations carefully. Focus on listening then it can really be incredibly productive. Brian Baird said you have two ears and one mouth. I love these drive in town halls, and I miss those in-person town halls. It’s so rich and so necessary.